Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra

Paul Whiteman, born in Denver, Colorado in 1890, studied classical music playing the violin, but quickly discovered that dance bands were where the money was at in the early 1900's. By 1920 he was leading bands in Atlantic City and New York City, blending the new jazz sounds with more classical music. He was one of the pioneers of recorded music, getting a contract to record for the Victor Talking Machine company, and as a result became famous across the nation. Always considered the King of Jazz, his popularity finally faded in the 1930's when the new 'swing' style of music crowded out the jazz bands. He appeared in several motion pictures including the story of Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey in 1947, The Fabulous Dorseys